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Senior Partners - 9
"Over time we realized that coming home was not realistic, especially when you consider the jobs of their spouses," said Andy. But the Wysses have accomplished something few other farm families have: All four of their adult children, ranging in ages from 29 to 36, are actively involved in the farm operation whether they physically live on the farm or not. They're conversant with what crop insurance costs and what the family can afford for cash rent. What's more, the skills and talent they have gleaned from professional careers in grain merchandising, business, finance and nursing pay dividends back on the farm as consultants. Keeping long-distance partners engaged in the business requires frequent communication, something technology has made increasingly easy. But it also requires mutual respect and commitment, family bonds the Wysses cultivated as far back as the 1980s farm crisis. "In 1983, we had a bad drought. I was a young farmer, not financially stable, and had to take an off-farm job working a night shift," explained Andy. "I could do the morning livestock chores, but not the evening chores." He enlisted his children to help him keep the hog-farrowing enterprise in business. His oldest son, Don, was 9 years old at the time. That responsibility was passed on to each child in turn, and helped them develop a lifelong affinity to their family but also to the farm operation. "The farm is a part of who we are," said Joe, 29, who is in his second year of law school at the University of Notre Dame. Between studies, he is the farm operation's strategic planner and technology guru. He helped put together the farm's formal business plan, maintains the farm's website (www.wyssfarms.com) and creates professional presentations when the Wysses speak to various groups. In 2003, when Joe was studying abroad in Australia, they entered his business school Family Business Plan Competition and won first place. "That was the first big project we worked on with our children in remote locations and we learned we could do that successfully," Pat said. Today Andy and Pat, both 58, run the day-to-day operation of their 2,000-acre operation. Their son, Don, a Purdue University ag economics grad and a grain merchandiser for Bunge North America in Decatur, Ind., is the only child to live close by. Over the years, his parents have learned to rely on his expertise in grain marketing. Daughter Amy won an award in high school for running their hog-farrowing business and computerizing their pork production records. When she got a job out of college as a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley in New York City, she wasn't ready to say good-bye to the farm. "She said since she talked with managers and clients in Asia with weekly conference calls, other phone conversations and emails, couldn't she do the same with our farm in Indiana?" recalled Pat. Now 35 and a financial analyst in Chicago, Amy explained why she stays involved. "I want the people I care about to succeed. And I think I have value to add, especially in financial decisions and contract negotiations." Amy helps prepare the budgets and financial analysis for the farm operation. Molly, age 33, works as a nurse in Indianapolis, but also manages advertising and promotion for the family farm, including landowner newsletters. The fact that each of the siblings feels a bond to the farm is no accident. "Our kids had farm chores to do when they were 5 years old," Pat said. "Throughout high school, they knew they were responsible for certain jobs. And they learned negotiation and teamwork. Because of their school activities, they learned to trade chores." She credits them for helping build the business, alongside their parents. "But don't think we had a group of saints here," added Andy. "Every once in a while, they needed a good talking to and they learned a lot about the power of negotiation." In addition to doing their farm chores, each child could choose to be involved in two school activities, or if they preferred to get an off-farm, part-time job as a teenager, they could, explained Pat. "We also had to keep our school grades high because Mom and Dad hoped we'd get academic scholarships to help pay for college," noted Don. They did. Today, constant communication is key. "We talk often on the phone, we email, we use Skype. Amy's family moved to Chicago, so everyone is within driving distance and since we now have grandchildren, we visit more often," explained Pat. They schedule formal conference calls at least twice a year to discuss farm budgets. "Other conference calls are scheduled as needed, such as for a possible land purchase, or if we are going to give a presentation to the public, or if Molly has a promotional idea," Andy said. Recently Andy and Pat, both 58, drew up an estate plan. "Our children feel a sense of relief that we have it in place," said Pat. "You can't leave things to chance, especially when you've worked this hard to put it all together. Now we have a mechanism and long-term plans in place to carry it to the next generation." Bringing successors back to the farm is an evolutionary process, but the Wyss family has shown that you can fulfill your family's passion for farming -- even when they no longer share the same ZIP code. Editor's Note: DTN's on-going Senior Partners series examines the financial, legal and emotional hurdles families face as they make the transition from farm ownership to senior and junior partners. To read other features in the package go to InDepth athttp://www.dtn.com/… Elizabeth Williams can be reached at elizabeth.williams@telventdtn.com (MZT/ES/SK) © Copyright 2011 DTN/The Progressive Farmer, A Telvent Brand. All rights reserved. 
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